05-14-2012, 02:37 PM
Quote:Eurocentrism is a problem, sure, but a gradually retreating one.
Somewhat offtopic, but still: I would argue that a sharp and shrill anti-Europeanism has become in recent years more of a problem for science and objectivity standards than old-fashioned Eurocentrism.
In recent querters of world history it has even become the norm to downplay Western achievements (Romans were uninventive, Colombus a fluke, Brits lucky to have coal in the IR etc.).
This has all led me to look out for the real bias, whenever someone tries to beat the dead horse of "Eurocentrism", Usually then some other ethnocentrism, cultural marxism or some misunderstood political corrrectness pops up.
Btw to say that chess came from India is an oversimplification. More correctly, the forerunner of chess comes from India. We do not know more of the rules of this Indian Chaturanga than that the figures had different attributes and that the game was was won by beating the enemy king. Chess as it is played today is based on the Western variant which in turn evolved when this Indian basic game was transmitted westwards by way of Persians and Arabs.
Stefan (Literary references to the discussed topics are always appreciated.)
